As artists stepping into 2022, singers and musicians should be looking at the data from the previous year and coming up with an optimized strategy to set up their success. Of course, whether to follow trends or set a new one is an artist’s choice but it cannot hurt to have last year’s statistics at hand.
Some expected tendencies include the power of TikTok that allows artists to go viral and gain a larger following as well as the continual blurring of genres as platforms and cultures grow tighter. In this article we will dive into the peculiarities of different trends that have been set throughout 2021 and their results. We will also explore our best guesses as to where the music industry is headed in 2022.
Analyzing millions of tracks, thousands of playlists and artists, Viberate put together a comprehensive report called “State of Music”. The report expands on various data from the past year that derives from all popular music streaming and social media platforms.
Viberate found that the majority of engagement from audiences is distributed extremely unevenly: The top 500 artists generated 33% of all streams and 40% of all new followers and, not entirely unexpected – pop artists dominate the charts followed by Hip Hop and Latin genres. This proportion is true for other platforms like YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and so on. The key takeaway here is that emerging artists, no matter the genre, will have to put far more effort into their campaigns and promotions to reach their target audience and connect with them.
Soundcloud seemingly surrenders the position of the best platform for rising artists to (drum roll) TikTok. It is no news that this platform has crashed all possible records with immense growth over a short period of time, hitting a billion active users in September 2021. It is statistically the most visited site of the past year and practically the best spot on the face of the internet where artists can connect with a large audience and gain loyal fans. State of Music lists tens of artists that have made huge progress with the help of TikTok and if they can do it, there is no reason other artists can’t. (If you’re thinking of developing a serious TikTok strategy for your music in 2022, read our article about the best posting time for the app here.)
Which Trends Will Continue?
Genre-blending is nothing new. So it comes as no surprise that music experts are predicting the borders between genres to blur even more. State of Music data supports this theory, showing playlists with most streams that do not belong to any one genre.
Short videos will be even more prevalent. The world has not only fallen in love with short-form videos but has also grown used to this quick and easy entertainment method. Artists should definitely think about their TikTok content, personalize their videos as much as possible, and be active with their videos.
Data shows that it’s not just genre lines that are blurring further. Streaming platforms are pushing music from all around the world and it’s getting noticed! For instance, K-Pop has made so much noise, getting into top charts with people from different countries raving about BTS and their success. Thus, multilingual music can be expected to further its rise and we are all for it!
Looking back at 2021, we can say with certainty that music is as important as ever. Artists should focus on fans-first approach in any kind of promotion they do which will only benefit the authentic connection they have with their audience.
We hope you found this article helpful!
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